Physiological Misfortunes
by Dear.Beth
Summary: This isn't a story of happy endings, the story of a blossoming girl into a young woman. This is the story of a young girl losing herself because of the horrid life she has to endure each day. New Chapter Added.
1. Laced Love

**This isn't a story of happy endings, the story of a blossoming girl into a young woman. This is the story of a young girl losing herself because of the horrid life she has to endure each day. This isn't a story of falling in love; it's a story with love, friends, hurt, betrayal ups and down. This is a story of never getting what you want while fighting to survive.**

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><p><em>Diary,<em>

_Today was a good day. I got to go back to school, I love school, I have friends there! Well at least they pretend to be my friend, sometimes they look at me weird though, like they don't understand me. Which is silly I'm just like they are…except I am a little spacy, and I do say funny things. Still they like me…it feels good to be liked because I like them too. They are nice people, nice to be my friends. I'm not supposed to have friends, that what I've been told my whole life. But I do have friends, and I got invited to a movie night at Tori's! It'll be so much fun diary. I can't wait._

_Love, Cat._

The petite red head closed the leathery diary, a slight smile on her face as she slipped off of her bed, the comforter was pink with a giant cupcake on the front of it. Childlike, but there was a reason Cat liked all this childish things; she never got to have a childhood, she was forced to grow up and take on a responsibility that most kids shouldn't have to deal with, she was supposed play dress up and have tea parties with cupcakes and fake tea. Cat Valentine didn't get to have that in her childlike years, so she experienced now. She lived through a fantasy world, it was her safe place.

Shaking her head, getting away from the thoughts of her past she brought herself back to the reality of the life she lived. The life where she could hear her parents fighting down stairs at this very moment, her brother in the room across the hall blaring music to drown out the sounds of their arguing. They always fought, sometimes it was about nothing at all, sometimes it was about Cat, and sometimes it was completely silent, words weren't being spoken, but there was still a fight beneath Cat's feet.

Looking down at her watch the smile on her face brightened, it was time for her to head over to Tori's house. She was happy to be getting away from the chaos of her house. No one knew what went on beneath the Valentine's roof, and Cat was going to make sure it would stay that way; she didn't want her parents to get into any trouble, though sometimes they deserved it.

The scattered brained 18 years old tucked her diary under mattress before gathering up her phone and purse. Cat was dolled up in the normal Cat way. Usually at school or when she went out she got dressed up; cute shoes, adorable outfits and every strained of hair laying in its place, with a layer of makeup painted on her face. Tonight she hadn't bothered to dress up, tonight her red velvet colored hair was in a ponytail, she had on a light layer of eyeliner and mascara, and her outfit of choice was baggy grey sweat pants and an off the shoulder yellow t-shirt. She slipped on a pair of sandals and then walked out of her room and down the stairs where the yelling had momentarily stopped.

'_**Just get to the door Cat, don't say anything just get to the door.'**_

Her thoughts had come too late, her pleading was no good because once she had stepped onto the landing she had two hands on her shoulders, the hands grinding hard into her shoulders as she was shoved against the wall by the front door. "Where do you think you're going little missy? Hm?" Cat's mother stood there, pounding her back against the wall, fury in her eyes and the smell of alcohol on her breath. "Answer me!" BAM! Cat's mother laid a hard slap across her face, Cat's eyes welled with tears "Mom please just let me go out with my friends." Cat pleaded to leave, pleaded for her mother to loosen her grip, but her mother wouldn't release, her mother only pounded her harder against the wall, Cat could feel the picture rattling above her head. "You have no friends, you're pathetic you know that. Who'd want to be friends with the likes of you. You only cause problems. You're the reason for all this fighting." Her mother was right in her face, screaming at her, blaming her for all the problems, placing the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Another slam against the wall.

Then fate, came knocking at the door, well actually ringing. The doorbell rang and a sigh of relief washed over Cat.

'_**Thank you.'**_

This thought of relief washed over her as she heard a familiar voice calling Cat's name on the other side of the door. "C-Coming." Cat looked at her mother who had a look of disgust on her face. Her mother pulled her lips back into a snarl before spitting right into Cat's face. "Get out of here you useless piece of shit. And don't you dare come home tonight." With on last threat Cat's mother took Cat by the hair and pushed her to the door before walking off into the kitchen surely to poor another glass of rum.

Cat took a moment to compose herself, wiping her mother's spit from her face and gathering a smile to her face. She couldn't let her friends see her this way, she couldn't let them in on her home life.

A new smile was planted on her face, the thoughts of abuse gone as she opened the door to see Beck standing there a smile on his own face. "Well hey little red, finally opened the door for me." Beck chuckled for a moment before wrapping his arm around his friend in a welcoming hug. "Ready for movie night?"

Cat nodded enthusiastically returning the hug before stepping out of her house, closing the door behind her. "Where's Jade?" Cat looked towards Beck's car but saw not sign of his girlfriend and her best friend.

"Grounded." Beck shrugged as he walked Cat to his car, smiling as he opened the door for her.

"Thank you." Cat giggled and got into the car, staring back out the window at the house hoping her brother would be safe. Beck pulled her from those thoughts as he started the car and pulled away from the house, music blaring through the speakers as he drove off towards Tori's house. He had no idea what had just happened inside the hell Cat had to go back to night after night and for now she didn't want to think about going back, she just wanted to think about going to be with her friends, where she was forever safe.

Please review, I can't write another chapter if no one tells me they want it. Please let me know honest feelings. If you have any questions about it, ask away. Overall though, I hoped you enjoyed this first chapter, let me know if a second one is requested.

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><p><strong>AN: This story is going to have very mature content, dealing with abuse mentally and physically. This isn't going to be a happy story with a lot of happy endings. It's going to be very heavy, but it is going to stay true to the characters. Cat will have a darker side but it gives the explanation for why she is so spacy. If you can't handle this type of story please don't read it, it will be graphic. Now yes I do tend to make it lean towards Beck and Cat so there will be some romance. Just remember this is not a topic to make light on, it is showing the dangers of what abuse can do, I do not support abuse, but I am showing the dark affects that it has. If anyone needs to talk to me or have opinions on this story's topic feel free to PM me but be at caution reading please. Thank you so much**

**-Beth**


	2. Soaring, Lying, Searing

They two 18 year olds sat in the car, music pulsing through the speakers, the melodies danced through Beck and Cat's veins, their bodies moving with the rhythmic beats of the song. Cat smiled, feeling a slight peace was over her as she rode in this car with a dear friend. Beck glanced over to his friend, when he saw the street light pass through the car there was something unfamiliar on the girl sitting next to him. It wasn't the sweats she had on, or the ponytail her hair was tied up in. It was a mark across her face, he could just make out the red marks out, it was a hand print. Why hadn't he seen it before.

"Beck!" Cat screeched and Beck pulled his eyes from his friends face to look at the rode ahead of them, he was feet from slamming into the car in front of them. Quickly he slammed down on the breaks, halting with a wail, the wheels sliding on the pavement as the car came to a stop just barely away from hitting the car in front of them. Beck ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding as he glanced over at Cat, who seemed to be rather calm.

"Cat, why is there a hand print on your face." As Beck spoke Cat's eyes widened for a moment as she brought her fingers to her cheek where her mother had slapped her. Squinting Cat pondered for a moment what she was going to tell Beck, she wasn't going to tell her that the hand on her face belonged to the force of her mother drunken anger, instead she thought up something quick to say. "Oh that? You see I was getting really tired, like really tired, so I kept smacking myself to keep me awake. I guess I smacked myself toooooo hard." Cat nodded, a smile across her lips as she looked across the seat to her friend. The story sounded so stupid, but Beck just nodded and looked back to the street in front of him. He just thought she was stupid, and spacy. Everyone thought that about her. They didn't believe her stories or thought they were way out of line, or sometimes random, but in truth the stories where always a way to cover up the hurt and pain Cat was feeling inside.

The rest of the trip was in silence, the music still blared through the car but neither Beck nor Cat spoke. It wasn't an awkward silence but Beck was lost for words and Cat was afraid to let the truth slip out and relieve something to Beck that she had never told anyone ever before in her life.

Beck pulled into Tori's driveway and then proceeded to walk around the car and open the door for Cat lie any gentleman would do for a lady. It made Cat feel special and important, and somehow Beck new that, he could see the way her face lit up, and he could tell by the giggle that she was happy with it. "Madam." Beck spoke in an English accent as he put his arm out for her to grab onto, giggling Cat obliged and wrapped her arm around his.

'**You're safe Cat, you're with your friends now. You're safe.'**

Cat repeated those words over and over as they walked up to the door to be greeted by a parade of people. There was, Tori, Andrea, Robbie, Rex, and Trina. Through Trina was sprawled on the couch. The friends exchanged hugs before settling into the living room. It was warm and light in there, compared to Cat's home life which was so dark, so heavy, she had the world on her shoulders, slowly pressing her into the dirt. For now though, here at Tori's she was safe, she was happy.

"Alright let's pop some corn and flip on this movie!" Tori clapped her hands as she danced her way into the kitchen to make the popcorn, Robbie putting in the movie. "Hey little red." Andre nodded to Cat while she gave a small wave back to him with a smile planted on her lips. Tori returned with the popcorn in a big bowl, while the opening credits rolled onto the screen. Everyone settled into their places in the room. Trina went to her room so Robbie and Rex sat in one chair, while Tori, Andre and Beck shared the couch. Cat sat on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest and a blanket wrapped around her. The others joke and made fun of parts of the movie for the first ten minutes before everyone silently watched the movie, all of them drifting into silence.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Cat jumped, startled at the sound of her phone ringing, glancing at the glowing numbers on the clock beneath the tv she saw that it read to be about 3 in the morning. The entire room was dark and quiet, all the others passed out. Slipping from her spot on the ground Cat snatched up her phone and walked into the bathroom, clicking the green answer button.

"Cat, you need to get home right this moment. Mom and dad are looking for you I told them that you must be in the bathroom, but they are just tearing the house apart, they won't listen to me, they are really drunk tonight Cat." Cat listened to her brother frantic message, fear washing over her as she thought about all her friends sleeping peacefully. "I'll be there soon, please just hold them off, I'm coming." Cat swung the bathroom and ran into the living room. As she threw her shows on she saw something gleam in the corner of her eye; Beck's keys. "Sorry Beck." She whispered to him silently before snatching her keys and running out of the house towards his car. Starting the car she backed out of the driveway and sped all the way home. She got there in half the time she would have doing the speed limit. She parked a few house down and ran towards the back yard going through the back door which led into the kitchen.

Tucking the keys into the pockets of her sweats she crept out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards the bathroom. She could hear her parents slamming things around the house, they were searching for her, screaming at the tops of their lungs. They were in her brother's room. Taking a deep breath she walked to the door and pushed it open, at the top of her lungs screaming for her parents attention. In an instant both of them looked at her, the devil in their eyes as they walked towards her. Her brother was huddled over in a corner, the scared look on his face the mirror image to Cat's at this moment.

"Look who came home. What were you doing? Huh!" Her father gripped her hair, pulling her head back. "Dad I was in the bathroom." Cat winced in pain, her eyes closed, not wanting to see the monsters in front of her. " Liar!" Her mother screamed as she brought a fist to her face. Cat cried in pain as her mother taunted her. "I saw you leave with a boy you slut! You were out whoring yourself. You worthless little skank." Cat shook her head, the tears strolling down her face. "Do you know what sluts get?" Her father asked as he took her face harshly in his rough hands. "Burnt." The wicked demon smiled at her before throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her down into the kitchen. "Dad stop it!" Her brother yelled, but it was useless because their mother was right there, just as wicked, just as vicious."

Cat wasn't ready for this, wasn't ready to feel the most horrid feeling in the entire world, she wasn't ready to watch her father commit another putrid act on his own daughter. She didn't want to be there, she didn't want to be alive…but she was alive and she was there in that house with two parents that didn't love her, didn't want her. She had been lost in her thoughts, she hadn't seen what her farther had taken out of one of the kitchen draws. It was only when she felt her shirt being lifted and felt the searing pain that she knew. A lighter, he lit it and then held the flame against her flesh. A scream ripped from her throat. As she tried to get away, she fought and fought but he kept burning her, but almost worse than the burn, was to feel her father's hand slipping down the front of her pants. It was then for the second time that night something shiny had gotten her attention. A knife, laying on the counter. In a split second decision she picked up the knife and aimed the knife for his leg. She wanted to kill him but she couldn't. It was her father, so instead she drilled the knife into his leg. Her screamed and dropped the lighter backing away, giving Cat time to make a run. Dashing up the stairs she saw her brother crying in the floor their mother gone. She had probably gone to bed to pass out. Her eyes told her brother everything, and the two of them ran from the house to Becks car Cat had taken.

"Cat whose car is this." Her brother asked getting into the car as they saw their father coming out onto the lawn, knife now in his hand. Starting the car Cat speed off back towards Tori's.


	3. Losing Battle of a raging war

**Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, only the ideas and plots behind the abuse. **

Cat didn't pay any attention to her brother, and the question at hand. Her only focus was to get back to Tori's and get far away from her own home. She needed to get away from the monsters and the pain of that house. Years had gone by in that house and all that came from it was pain and bruises. Her parents were monsters, her parents had done every wicked thing to her that could ever be imagined. From branding to beating, to neglecting. Right now though Cat just needed to get out needed to get away. She didn't want to go to college, all she wanted was to get a job and a house so she could leave and take her brother with her away from all the torture. "Cat please tell me what is going on." Her brother stared at her, the fear in his eyes, he needed to know what happened. So Cat lifted her shirt to show the burns on her stomach, one hand still on the wheel as she sped away from the house. "Look, I'm taking you to Tori's and then I'm going to go to the hospital okay. Just stay there and when the others wake up in the morning I will be there okay I will come up for a reason, just please promise me you won't tell them what happened tonight." He knew not to tell, their minds had been wired to keep their pain a secret.

"Cat I promise, but please just get help." He didn't like seeing his sister in pain, and she didn't like being in pain. She didn't want this, but she would gladly take all the pain in the world over watching her brother being tormented. "Listen, I will do everything I can to fix this." The redhead was no longer talking about the burns on her stomach, she was talking about getting them out. So many times had they fantasized about this, so many times had she wanted to tell someone, to send their parents away and live away from it. Neither ever did it though, these were their parents, they were afraid to be separated in foster care. It was tough not being able to help yourself or the only other person that loved you.

The rest of the ride was in silence, the darkness falling over their hearts as they dwelled in the life they had to live in. Sighing Cat pulled into the drive and put the car out to walk her brother to the door. The car still running for her trip to the hospital. Her brother said by her side as they walked towards the house, silently fearing that they would wake someone up.

"Cat!" Jumping the short girl twisted around and saw someone standing on the porch with them, arms crossed over his chest, dark hair in his eyes. "Were you planning on telling me that you were going to take my car without asking?" Beck raised an eyebrow as he walked towards her and her brother, there was a certain anger in his eyes. Cat knew that Beck never let anyone drive his car but it had ben dire that she take it, and she was going to explain that to him now. "B-Beck, please don't get angry. You see, my brother was shooting off fireworks and he got into trouble and was taken to jail, mainly just to scare him and well he needed me to pick him up because he didn't want mom and dad to get angry with him." Cat nodded motioning to her brother to play along with her. "Yeah Beck and now Cat needs to go to the hospital because she played with sparklers that I had." Cat looked at her brother as he spoke before nodding and lifting up her shirt to show Beck the burns her father caused. "Sparklers made me think they were sparkly and when I lit them they were! So I wanted to sparkle to…but it burned, and it hurt. ." She sounded so infantile, but it was the best she could do. "Oh my god Cat" Beck's eyes popped open wider as he saw her scars on the dim lit porch.

"I'll take you to the hospital. You can go inside and sleep." Beck motioned her brother towards the door before grasping her hand and walking her out to his running car. "You don't have to go." Cat looked flustered as she was dragged to the car, leaving her brother to go inside the house. There was no choice but to go with Beck to the hospital. "Cat, you should have woken me, you know I would have gone to get your brother with you."

"No!" Cat shook her head at the thought of him seeing her home life, seeing her mother and father for who they really were. Beck had gotten close earlier in the day when he picked her up, she'd never let him get so close again to the monsters in that house.

Silence took over as the clock struck 4:30 in the morning and they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"Cat." Beck placed his hand on her shoulder before sighing in defeat, not getting out any other words but her spacy redhead name. "I-I'm gonna go in now." Cat gulped and retreated from the car towards the hospital, Beck on her heels. "Doctor!" Cat glanced around, as Beck motioned for a doctor to come over to his friend with the burn wounds on her flat stomach. "Doctor, my friend has been burnt very badly." Beck pleaded for the doctors help with his eyes as Cat stood in silence. "Sir I'm going to need to you wait out here, and fill out her name and whatever other information you know of hers please." Running his fingers through his hair Beck nodded, walking to desk as Cat was whisked away by the doctor.

As he filled out some papers, Cat laid in a bed, the doctor looking over the blistering burns. "Well it looks like you've been burnt very badly Ms. What are these from may I ask?" The doctor inquired as he looked on her stomach, Cat avoided his eyes, giving him the same story she had given to Beck. "Alright, well there isn't too much that I can do but I'm going to give you some morphine and lotion to soothe the pain, I'll also give you a prescription for vicodin that you can fill in the morning. Let me go get your morphine." The doctor sighed as he walked out of the room and out towards Beck in the waiting room.

"Sir I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but is there any chance that your friend in there is a victim of abuse?"

**A/N: Please review; if you don't review I can't know if you want another chapter. Also I'm thinking of doing a small flashback chapter about when the abuse first started or a major event. Let me know what to think of the idea. Thank you. **


	4. WARNING

**Warning: This next chapter is very heavy, it deals with very adult content, the entire story does, but this may be a hard flash back chapter for some people to read. Please, please read with caution, and once again, know that this isn't in support of the content but a precursor to the side effects. Read with caution and review. **

**Disclaimer: Of course I do not own Victorious**


	5. Memory:Face of the Devil

A/N: Alright this will mostly be a flashback chapter, sorry the last one was short, this one will mostly be short as well. Anyways for the convenience of separating real time from memory, the memory will be in italics.

Cat was nervous as she sat in the hospital waiting for the doctor to return with the supplies to shot the morphine into her bloodstream. Cat hated hospitals, the last time she was in one for herself was when she had been seven years old, it smelled the same, and she was her for almost the same reason.

"_Daddy what are you doing" The young Caterina Valentine watched as her father came towards her,hand raised above his head. He was coming at her, anger written over all of his harsh features. Her mother just stood behind him, sipping out of a bottle. She did that a lot, she her mother was a drun, at least that's what she heard from the whispers of neighbors. Cat didn't really understand it, but what she did understand was the pain that corsed through her body as her father took her by the arm and forced her to move with him. "Daddy stop it!" Tears streaked down the young girls face as she wondered what she had done to deserve this type of pain._

"_Listen here you little brat. Don't be going around telling people what's happenin' at this house you understand me you little bitch!" Her father yelled in her face, coating it with spit that smelled of something horrid. "You're gonna learn to keep your mouth shut. You hear me?" Cat balled as her father shoved her into her bed room, shaking her until she would speak. "Daddy I don't understand what I did! Please daddy!" Cat pleaded for her father to tell her the truth to say he was sorry and to take her into his arms and hug her. He didn't, instead he sneered at her and told her she'd understand. That was the first time Cat felt the wrath of her father. He locked her in her bedroom, coming in once a day with a glass of water and a slice of bread. He didn't let her shower, or even use the bathroom. She was given a bucket and a wash cloth, that was it. Cat had a little brother, he was 4 and she only hoped that he still got to use the potty and go to preschool._

_One night was different though, it was the ending of being locked in her room, but it was the beginning of something so much worse. That night, her father had come into the room, he was all weird, slurring his words and stumbling through the door. The look in his eye so much worse than it had ever been before in Cat's entire life. The seven year olds bones were chilled, her brown locks of hair covering her scared eyes. "Daddy?" Cat pulled her legs to her chest as she shivered watching the monster in her dreams walk closer to her. "You are beautiful little kitty. Pretty brown hair." Her father grinned sitting on her bed, running his hair through her tangled locks of hair. He pulled a little too hard and Cat recoiled, drawing closer to herself and further from her. "Pretty girl." The wicked smile crossed his face and he reached for her hand. Cat squeaked as she felt her farther place her hand on something hard in his pants. Cat felt sick, this wasn't right, she didn't understand what she was doing but all she could think about was how it wasn't right. Her gut told her to pull her hand away._

"_Daddy I don't want to do that." Cat stared at the man pulling her hand away from his privates. Cat gulped, she had made her farther angry. "You don't want to do that! Well maybe you'd like to do something else then." Her father screamed at her, pushing her down onto the bed, ripping her clothes off of her. "Daddy stop it!" But he didn't stop, he had his way with her, what she had felt in his pants tore at her core, a scream ripping through the entire house, she screamed at the top of her lungs fighting against her father, ripping, bleeding, crying. She just wanted it to stop she only wanted it to go away. It didn't stop though, not for what seemed like forever, she never stopped screaming or crying, She pleaded for help but there was no escape. At one point while her father was inside her, she was her brother standing in the door, she yelled 'go away' over and over until he left, her father only thinking she was yelling at him. _

_It lasted to long, but eventually her father stopped, a smile still on his face. "Daddy only loves you sweety." He pulled his pants back up and left the room, Cat on the other couldn't move, she was sore, she almost couldn't feel her body, she just wanted to die, all this seven year old girl wanted to do was die. Her father wasn't done though, instead he came back, something glowing orange in the dark room. _

_Caterina couldn't speak, her throat was sore, her mind was blank but what she did feel was the pain, fire, burning into the flesh of her inner thigh, up towards her numb privates. She'd later discover that the left said the word slut, while her right inner thigh said daddy loves you. It was scars that would stay forever._

_From that day on, Cats room was always open for her to leave, but she was too scared to move, sometimes she couldn't move. That night changed her life, she stopped calling her father daddy after that night. She was hurt and in so much pain, her body, her mind, her heart. But she wasn't taken to the hospital for that, she was taken to the hospital about a week later. _

_Cat had gone to school that day, and when she came home her father was yelling at her little brother, Cat didn't like that, and this time her mother was yelling back at her father. She was protecting her brother, something she had never seen her mother do. She wished her mother would protect her that way. "Leave him alone!" Cat screamed to her father, running and hitting him in the back. It was one of the worst things she could have done, but she saved her brother. Her father turned on her and Cat darted from the kitchen and up the stairs towards her room, her father was faster._

"_Never touch me you little slut!" Her father yelled at her as they reached the top of the stairs. "You are shit, you hear me?" Cat stood there, frozen, staring at her father as he stared right back at her. "You mean nothing to me, I wish you were never born!" He screamed at her and then with all of his force he shoved her backwards, and the seven year old went flying down the stairs. She laid unconscious at the bottom, but her father only came up to her and smashed his foot down into her ribs. _

_Cat couldn't recall what happened after that, all she remembered was waking up in the hospital, her mom told her she had been in a coma, but she didn't understand. Her father was there, and she wanted to tell the doctors to get him away from her, he hurt her. She didn't though, she was afraid of him, and she would tell no one. _

"Miss Valentine." The doctor walked into the room with a nurse trailing behind him, he had pulled her from her thoughts, a single tear slowly running down her cheek. "I'm going to let the nurse get you set up and then I'll let your friend know he is welcome to come in." The doctor smiled, and Cat only nodded, saying nothing to the doctor, just as she had said nothing to the doctor when she was seven.


	6. Monster of my Dreams

Cat sat in the waiting room a few minutes longer after the doctor asked him about a certain redhead being abused. The question had perplexed him, scaring him at the same time. Was his friend being hurt? Or was she just being Cat, somehow managing to hurt herself? The thought that anyone could ever hurt her sent chills down his spine, who'd want to hurt Cat? Sometimes it was hard to have an adult conversation with her, but she was cute, funny and nice, not an angry bone in her body. Who would want to hurt that?

'**No one.' **

Beck answered his own question, confident in his answer, Cat wasn't being abused, it was just too hard to picture someone burning her. Everyone knew that Cat liked sparkly things and that she was childlike enough to actually try to put something dangerous on her to get the sparkles, it was just who Cat was, fun loving and sometimes slightly dumb Cat. So Beck brushed the disturbing thoughts from his mind as he walked away from the waiting room, and down the hallway where he had been told his friend was, he was allowed to visit with her, even though he wanted to sleep more than sit up and listen to Cat jabber on about something random. Running his fingers through his dark hair he walked in, smiling at the girl who was sitting on the bed Indian style, wide chocolate orbs staring at him, her fingers locked through the knots at the bottoms of her red hair.

"Beck!" Cat jerked her head up, when she heard him enter the room, smiling as she waved him over to sit on the hospital bed with her, she was so happy to see him there, she was already tired of the doctors and nurses. She hated this place. "Come, sit with me." She nodded fervently tapping the empty space in front of her, her smile bright, thrilled to see her friend there for her. Beck obliged and came to sit Indian style across from her, cautiously watching her, studying her, absorbing the light that shone from her face. Beck couldn't help but smile, so he reached out to pat Cat's leg, but Cat recoiled from the touch of his hand, closing her eyes, turning her face away from him. Quickly he snatched his hand away from her, fearing that he had hurt her in some way.

"S-Sorry Cat." Beck looked away, rolling his eyes at himself for trying to rub her leg in comfort, Cat was very temperamental and one never really knew how she was going to react to certain situations. This was one in which Beck could learn from and remember not to do it ever again. "No Beck, I'm sorry." Cats lowered gaze lifted to his face before she reached out, fingers catching under his chin, turning his head back to face her. "You did nothing wrong, you've only helped." Nodding, Cat lowered her hand from his face till it dropped into the hand on his lap, twisting her fingers around his, Cat pulled his hand back towards her, letting it fall from her grasp to rest on her knee. "See I'm fine." But Cat wasn't fine, Cat would never be fine until she got away from the monsters that haunted her asleep and awake. "I-I.." Shaking her head, she sighed in defeat, she didn't know what to tell him, she wanted to tell him so much about the monsters.

Beck looked back to her face, running his thumb across her bare knee, they had made her change into one of those putrid hospital gowns. "Maybe you should get some sleep, relax a little." Beck smiled, standing from the bed so Cat could stretch out on the bed, he'd gladly sit in the chair and fall asleep, just as long as his friend was out of pain and at peace, what he didn't know was that Cat only found peace in the thoughts of death and destruction to life.

"I don't want to sleep." Cat shook her head, her eyes wide with the fears of the nightmares that would come to haunt. "I don't want to see the monster Beck." Gulping Cat clutched Beck's arm, pulling him on to the bed next to her. "I can't see the monsters." Tears streaked down her face, her eyes clutched together tightly, body shaking in fear, fear that Beck had never seen before in his friend. Something told Beck that this was more than Cat's twisted childish brain, something was haunting her, and it broke his heart to see her that way.

Sitting next to her on the bed, he wrapped his friend in his arms, holding her close to him, feeling the rattling of her body, he held onto her until it stopped, stroking her head, leaving a kiss where his hand had been after each stroke. "Hey, listen to me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you Cat." Cat felt herself relaxing into Becks arm, she felt her fear subside, and she relaxed into the warmth of her friend, her head resting on his chest, taking a deep breath, listening to his heart before speaking up. "Are you afraid of anything Beck?" A simple question, but it was one that Cat had never asked him, it was typical of them to talk, but they had never talked like this.

"No kitten, nothing scares me. I have no fears."

"You're lucky, to fear is to lose part of your life, to lose happiness and hope."

"The face your fears Cat and make them go away."

"Beck, my fears cannot be faced." The truth though, was that Cat faced her fears every day, she was stared down with the monster veiled behind her mother and fathers eyes. She faced her demons every day, and when she tried to stand her ground, only the worse came, only more harm found its way into her, she was being tortured, but Beck didn't understand what that felt like.

"Beck, do you think my red hair makes me look…ugly? " Cat dyed her hair the velvety red the moment she was old enough. Her farther hated it, said it was ugly, made her look like a slut, said she wasn't beautiful with red hair. Which why she did it, her father had said she was pretty with her brown hair, and that was the first time her father sexually assaulted her. Hair color didn't stop the assaults from coming, but at least her father didn't think she was pretty. She didn't want her father to think she was pretty, she did however want boys her own age to think she was pretty.

"Cat, your hair makes you look beautiful." Beck chuckled deeply, kissing his friend, wrapping her tighter in his arms, the weight of her head on his chest feeling comfortable. It wasn't until Cat feel asleep that Beck realized something about Cat. She wasn't dumb, and she could have a deep conversation. He also realized that there was something dark in Cat, something he needed to discover. For now though it would have to wait, because he was drifting to sleep to the sounds of her breathing, relaxing with her in his arms.

He'd keep away the monsters for the night, but when they woke up, he'd discover just who or what those monsters were.


	7. No Sweet Escapes

**I am so very sorry for taking such a long time to get another chapter up. But here it is, please enjoy and like always, review so I know you want more. All opinions are welcomed. **

**Disclaimer: I own not Victorious, if I did, this story would be on a screen instead of a site. **

**Without further ado, enjoy.**

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><p>Beck was worried about Cat Valentine, everyone could see, but no one was willing to admit that something was different about Cat. It had been about a week since the hospital incident. Beck had promised himself to ask Cat if she was being abused by someone, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her when she woke up the next morning, her bubbly smile warming his entire body. So he couldn't ask her, he couldn't ask such a dark thing to a girl who seemed to be so happy, so he stayed quiet, but he watched her, worried about her, and in general he started inching closer to her every day. Making sure to sit next to her in class or lunch, and volunteering to act with her in Sikowitz class. People were starting to notice, Jade was starting to notice.<p>

"Beck! Don't walk away from when I'm talking to you!" Jade yelled, following Beck through the empty halls of the school. Everyone else was in class, Beck had gotten excused to go to the restroom, Jade took this as an opportunity to confront him about this newfound action of wanting to be near the peppy little redhead. "Jade, I'm not walking away when you're talking to me, I'm walking away while you yell at me." Beck yelled back to her over his shoulder before pushing the door to the men's room open. That didn't stop Jade though, she followed him in, leaning against the wall.

"Jade." Beck ran his fingers through his hair as he stood there staring at his girlfriend.

"Well are you gonna pee or just stand here all day?" Jade watched crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at Beck her face dripping with anger, her eyes boring into Beck's waiting for the answers to the questions she had been asking. "Jade, I don't know what you're problem is. Cat is Cat! I don't like her more than as a friend okay? I'm just worried about her because of that firework thing, I think she is getting less common sense, I just don't want her to hurt herself anymore okay?" Beck walked to his girlfriend, kissing her head before leading her to the door to leave. "I'm going to pee now, I'll see you back in class okay."

For Beck the rest of the day seemed to be going better, Jade was no longer on his back about having a crush on one of his best friends, he hated when Jade was angry with him. She held grudges.

However, for Cat the day was seemingly getting worse as the hours went on. Cat hadn't heard from her brother in a view hours, typically he would send her a text every hour, sometimes it was just a emoticon, and sometimes it was more, but so far, through the entire school day there hadn't been a single text, she hadn't even seen him before she left for school, he had locked himself in his room, sometimes he did that, he'd skip school and just stay hidden in his room, but usually he would tell Cat. This was very unlike her brother. So Cat was worried through the day, she hardly even heard about any of the assignments for her classes. It'd been a week since the burning, she hadn't come face to her parents yet, she had lain low, avoiding any contact with them at all and it had worked for the week, but she had a bad feeling in her gut about today, she couldn't avoid them forever. They always found a way to get to her.

So with the final bell, Cat waved goodbye to her friends, not waiting around to talk as she typically did, Cat was always one of the last to leave the school, today, she was one of the first. Cat had an urgent need to get home that she hadn't felt for years since the beatings had started. School was a haven, it was security, but now her only security would be getting home and seeing if her brother was still locked in his room.

Blood boiled, palms sweated, hearted pounding, something was wrong, Cat knew something was wrong.

She had practically run home, heels clicking on the cement beneath as she raced to her misery, books heavy on her back. Those books though would never be as heavy as the torment that hung onto her heart each and every day of her life. Cat slowed when the house came into her view. The outside was so homely, white shutters on a yellow two story house, lush green grass, a family car in the driveway. It was a beautiful house, but the life that was on the outside lacked happiness on the inside, and right now on the inside, Cat could hear her parents screaming at each other, hitting each other, and all around hating each other. Cat stood, listening, contemplating; does she intervene, or walk away, does she let them see or so sneak in?

Cat glanced through the front window, they were by the staircase, her brother not with them, so instead of getting in the path of the fire she walked around to the back of the house to the large tree. Her and her brother had spent hours in that tree, it was a perfect climbing tree, and it happened to be easy to climb from the tree to the roof that was right outside of her brothers window.

'_Please be okay'_

Gulping Cat took of her heels and placed them in her back pack before jumping and wrapping her legs around the lowest branch of the large tree. She swung her body till she was right side up, and she began the climb to her brother window. The back pack may be heavy, but Cat and her brother were used to climbing that tree with a plethora of pain, so she climbed with easy. Concentrating on only one thing. Getting to her brother…if he was still alive.

Reaching the window, Cat looked in but only saw darkness, so she placed her shaking hands on the glass of the window and pushed it up, her brother never locked it. They both knew if they needed to escape they didn't want to deal with unlocking the thing and risking time that could potentially save them. So Cat quietly crept into the room, making sure not to alert her parents of her arrival at the house. There in the room though, was no brother. Cat choked up at the fear that something dearly bad happened to him, something like death What if her parents had gotten to him, what if they killed him, dumped in a river and was coming for her. A single tear slide down her face before she caught sight of a crinkled piece of paper next to his trash can.

Glancing over her shoulder to the door Cat slide of her backpack before kneeling down next to the trash can, picking up the paper before unfolding the crinkled ball.

_**Cat,**_

_**I've gone away Cat, I've left, I can't take a single day more of this hellish nightmare. Don't hate me, please Cat. I'm safe, I'm just leaving this place, I have a nice place all lined up for me to go. I just can't be here, I had to go, I wish you could have come with me but Cat you're strong. You can get out, you can live. If I stayed a second longer Cat, I would have died, I practically already am dead. I love you Cat, I'm safe, please be safe for me. Get out, we will find each other again; I promise we will, but I just had to go. I had to! Don't try to call me, I left my phone at the house so I couldn't be traced. If I ever get the chance to call you I will. I have a long journey ahead of me Cat, and so do you. Please Cat find a way out!**_

_**With all my love**_

By the end of the letter Cat was in full blown tears, gasping for air.

'_Why would you do this to me? Why would you leave me alone?'_

Kicking her bag, Cat walked to the door, tears streaming, body shaking as she clutched his note. Cat slammed her fist against the door before leaving her brothers room and walking into her own. She was filled with so many emotions, filled with so much, she was ready to overload. She was alone in this hell, he had left her, the only person she could ever feel close to had left her, had vanished into the world, another person, and she was the lone prisoner to these demons that haunted her every thought.

Cat laid in her bed, rocking crying, and eventually she was sleeping, breathing heavy as she felt so alone in her sleep, she felt so cold.

"Wake up stupid!" A kick and another yell. "I said wake up stupid!" Cat stirred only to stare her father in the monster that was her father in the face. "What." A groggy Cat rose to a sitting position, wiping the sleep from her eyes, ribs aching from the kick. She was on the floor, she must have rolled off in her sleep. Glancing at her clock she saw the blinking time: 8:50. She had slept longer than she thought she would have been able to.

"Where is your brother?" Spit flew from her father's mouth, landing on her own face.

"I-I don't know!" Cat shook as her father crouched down next to her on the floor. "Oh I think you do know skank. Where is he?" Her father grabbed her shoulders and shook her, her head banging against the side of the bed. "Stop I don't know!" Cat exclaimed in pain, fresh tears falling down her face. Her father released his grip from her shoulders, only to move them to the button on his pants. "If you don't want to tell me, then you're going to be punished." It only took her father seconds to remove himself from his paints and underwear. He was right about one thing, this indeed was punishment.

"No! Stop it! Please stop!" Cat fought, twisting and turning trying to get away from him, but she was pinned under his weight, one hand ripping her underwear off from under her dress. Cat fought, but she couldn't get away, her body was tense, and a scream ripped through her as her father took her. He grunted pumping into her, Cat tried to squeeze her legs shut, tried to get him off of her, but it was useless. So Cat stopped fighting, she laid there limb, eyes staring under her bed, tears dripping down her face as her hands remained clenched in a fist. Her father grunting above her, talking grotesquely, talking about how much he loved her, how good she felt.

It seemed like hours before her father stopped, but eventually when he did, Cat rolled over and vomited on her bed room floor. Disgusted with her father, feeling awful and dirty. Cat wanted to feel real love, not this disgusting torture.

Cat heaved, knelt over on her hands and knees, her hair drenched with sweat, the ends running through her own vomit as she reached under her bed to grab her brothers letter. He got out, and Cat wanted out too, she wanted to kill herself, she wanted to die and never have to look these monsters in the face ever again. Cat couldn't die though, she needed to live to see her brother, but she also needed to get away from his house. So Cat did just that, she ran, from the house, from her parents, she ran until she ended up at the only other person's place that she could trust.

She ran till she was face to face with Becks camper. Her bare feet hurt, her she was caked in sweat and vomit, she ached between her legs and her heart ached with her brother missing. She was a mess she was out of hell.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed, I know it was another heavy chapter, the next chapter will be some sort of Bat for you folks out there that have been dying to see how it ties in, though it may not be what you thought it'd be Also I am sparing some of the details between the sexual scenes with Cat and her father but if at some time Cat and Beck find themselves in a sexual position there will be more details to that. These things take time, soon though as a spoiler, the story will be shifting from being victim to survivor, so that will happen in the next few chapters I suppose. Also THANK YOU! All of you so much, for the support, reviews and just even reading it. It means a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts on this chapter!**


	8. Never Alone

**Disclaimer: I do not own. **

**Another Chapter, you know the drill to review so I know you readers want more.**

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><p>Cat trembled as she stood in outside of the camper. The metal door the only thing between Cat and Beck, she could hear his laughter. She could almost feel how calm and relaxed he was, perhaps though it was because she herself was calming down just being away from the house and in the presence of a dear friend of hers. Cat needed him, she needed comfort, and she needed love real love. So taking another deep breath Cat extended her shaking arm and knocked on the door before stepping away so not to get hit when he opened the door, if he opened to door, maybe he didn't want to be disturbed or maybe Jade was there.<p>

'_I really am stupid, my father was right. I sho-'_

Cat's thoughts were interrupted as the door swung open and there stood Beck clad in only a pair of pajama pant. "Cat?" Confusion washed over Beck as he locked to his friend standing before him, she looked a mess, this beautiful girl liked like she had just walked through hell. "C-Can I come in." Cat looked away, gulping, it was around eleven by now, and surly he had been getting ready for bed. Cat noticed how toned he looked with his shirt off, but the concern on his face sent chills down her spine, she had never seen that look in anyone's eyes before, the way his eyes travelled over her body as if he was checking to make sure she was completely put together. If only he knew how much pain she was really in.

"What happened to you Cat? Are you okay?" Reaching out his hand he gently pulled her up the stairs and into his camper, his abode. She was shaking, he could feel her hand shivering in his touch, and when he pulled her closer he could smell a putrid smell on her, it smelled of vomit. Cat was always put together, always smelled nice, this wasn't' very Cat like, something had happened and Beck instantly remembered that night at the hospital, the doctors words echoing in his mind. "Oh Cat I'm sorry." He didn't know what he was apologizing for, but he pulled her into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her, trying to stop all of the shaking, all Beck wanted to do was help Cat, he just didn't know what to do, he had never been in this situation before. Sure he knew Cat was different, but abused? How would you handle talking about that? How did he even know if it was true? He didn't want to bring it up and hurt her feelings or make her upset, but then again if he didn't ask she could end up really hurt if she was being abused.

"Beck, I-I shouldn't have come here…I'm sorry I'm just such a mess and, and I should go home and shower." Cat gulped before nodding and trying to fight her way out of his grasp. Cat felt so great in his arms, but as she rested there, she feared dragging him into this war that was never ending on the home front. She would die is she managed to get Beck hurt, she couldn't let anyone else sufferer from this. Yet, her brother was gone, she had no one to go back for, she had nothing left at that house, this was her escape: if only for one night.

"I've got a shower, and you can borrow some of my pajamas. Tomorrow is Saturday so there won't be any school, so you can go get cleaned up and then me and you are going to talk about why you're here." As Beck spoke he rustled through his draws till he found a t-shirt and another set of pajama bottoms before leading her into the small bathroom and starting the shower for her. "I'll be out there when you need me." Closing the door Beck walked back out to the main area of the camper and collapsed on his bed, running his fingers through his hair. "Come on Cat, what's going on with you." Beck grumbled under his breath as he closed his eyes in frustration, he wanted to know what was going on with this girl.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Turning, Beck latched onto his phone, opening a text from Jade.

'_**Hey I'm bored can I come over and get unbored?'**_

'_**Sorry Jade, but no.'**_

'_**WHAT?'**_

'_**I'm going to sleep. Night love you.'**_

'_**Fine. Whatever. Night.'**_

Beck had pissed his girlfriend off once again in, but at this moment, Cat was more important, he needed to put her before Jade, he loved Jade, but she was somewhat heartless at times, and Cat was heartbroken. He didn't want to deal with Jade, he wanted to focus on Cat, and focusing on making her feel better. He wanted to get into her mind and figure out what was going with the red head and why she showed up shivering with the smell of vomit on her. Beck had been lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed the water being turned off and Cat entering the room, towel in hand ringing her locks of hair, she wore his t-shirt and pants.

"Beck?" Beck jumped as he heard the redheads voice, looking onto her he smiled; only Cat could make a big t-shirt and baggy pajama pants look pretty. So he sat up a smile on his face as he patted the spot next to him on his bed. Cat obliged, dropping the towel to the ground before crawling next to him.

'_This is it Cat, just kiss Beck, that'll show me what love is like. What dad shows isn't love. I want love.'_

"Beck." This time, he voice had been low and husky, he lips next to his ear, warm air tickled Beck's ear, sending shivers up his spine, his stomach knotted. He had no idea what Cat was doing, but he couldn't help but react towards her. He gulped trying to remove to limp in his throat when he felt her lips graze the corner of his mouth.

'_Beck what are you doing? Jade. Jade. Jade….oh Cat.'_

Becks thoughts changed course, first a chant to stay faithful to Jade, but the reaction he was having downstairs was all for Cat. The beautiful redhead, the girl he needed to talk to right now. "C-Ca…mhm" Beck grunted as Cat slipped into his lap. What was she doing? What was he doing. This was his girlfriend's best friend, his friend.

"Fuck." Beck grunted out the obscenity before his lips crashed into hers. They were so warm, so soft, so right. Beck knew this was wrong, he knew he shouldn't be doing this, but as a male it was hard to control the urge to kiss a pretty girl when he was aroused and she was on his lap. So he broke the trust Jade had instilled in him, and he kissed Cat, slowly, and gently. Cat kissed back, her hands wrapping through his lush locks of dark hair, her body so close to his.

Cat felt a shiver run down her spine as she kissed Beck, his hands on her waist, fingers running along the hem of the shirt he had let her borrow. Cat had never felt anything like this at all, for so long the only intimacy she felt wasn't what it was supposed to be, it was wrong, illegal and it hurt. Here, in Beck's arms, it was warm, it caused her muscles in her lower abdomen to clench, but not in the way she had been when her father came to call, her whole body tensed then. Kissing Beck was different; butterflies swarmed her stomach as her lips moved in tune with his. Parting her soft lips when she felt his tongue dart across her bottom lip, Beck smiled into the kiss as his tongue caressed Cat's, smiling when she arched into him, her hips pulsing towards his arousal.

Cat flinched pulling away from the kiss, gulping as she looked Beck in the eyes. "So-sorry….I'll stop." Beck scratched his head as he watched the fragile girl on top of him, waiting for a reaction. "No Beck, don't stop." Cat was soft spoken, confident but quiet. Cat was sore, very sore from what her father had done to her, but she didn't want to stop the warm fuzzy feeling she got when Beck kissed her. So Beck leaned in, kissing her slowly, at first before Cat caught became more aggressive with the kiss. Beck followed suit, but he didn't want to freak her out, what he did want though was to feel her soft tan skin.

Beck slipped his hand up Cat's shirt, caressing her soft skin as his lips stayed glued to hers, his hand inching towards one of her breasts. Cat shivered under his touch but pressed into his hand, her lips pulling away for a moment, gathering a breath of air, looking intently into his eyes before closing her own, pressing deeper into his touch.

Beck traced his lips along her neck for a moment before wrapping both hands around her, flipping her so she was on her back. He smiled kissing her, his hands traced down her arms, but when his fingers brushed over her wrists he didn't expect the reaction he got.

"No! Please no! Don't, please don't do it, I'll do anything just leave me alone." Cat's eyes were closed, her head was thrashing side to side, instantly Beck was in protective mode, his arousal gone the second she opened her mouth. Beck released her wrist before laying down next to her, pulling her into his arms.

"Shh, it's okay little red, your safe I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Beck…please don't be like him please don't be like him."

"Cat I need to you tell me who he is, whose hurting you Cat?"

Cat curled in a ball, shaking as tears fell down her face, she had gone from someone who was enjoying a little teen action to a girl that was completely frightened.

"Cat please tell me." Beck pleaded pulling her closer, letting her know he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her.

"Please Cat. Who is hurting you."

"My parents."

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><p><strong>AN: The next Chapter will be half flash back and half regular time, if you guys don't like me doing flashbacks then they wont be in as much, but for some parts I will use it to help tell the story better. Also I don't know when the next chapter will be up, I've got class and work all week and a Navy graduation on Friday so I don't know when my next update will be but just keep checking. Thanks for reading, you guys make me want to write more and more. **


	9. Author Note

**A/N: My dear dear readers! I am so sorry for my absence and lack of another chapter I promised a few weeks ago. Life has taken hold of me around without any way off breaking free. Fear not though because after I get home from work today I am sitting down and getting started on the next chapter to come in this story. My goal is that it will be up by the end of today. Please forgive me for my absence , I feel dreadful for leaving so much up in the air. Today is the day folks, I will get you guys something more to make your minds wonder at what's to come next. **

**Thanks for sticking with me!**

**-Beth **


	10. Mother doesn't Know Best

**I don't own Victorious.**

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the wait but here it is. Like I said this will be a flashback and move back into real time. I'm sorry if it turns out to be a short chapter. Still thank you all for waiting and supporting this story, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

_A twelve year old brunette sat outside, her eyes scanning the neighborhood around her. School was out for summer and all the kids in the neighborhood were outside playing, Cat just sat there on the steps though, alone, no one to play with, no one to talk to. Her brother was at a friend's house, he had friends, but Cat was alone. No one wanted to be friends with the weird girl. So Cat sat and watched, a single tear resting in the corner of her eye, to be alone was the worst feeling in the world to this twelve year old girl. _

_This was the first time Cat had gone outside all summer, both her parents were gone, her father had been gone for a week and her mom was at work for the moment. It was the best moment of her life, she felt slightly at ease, she loved when her parents went missing for days on end, those were the best days, the only days she didn't feel the hurt._

"_Hey." A voice broke Cat's thinking, shattering the silence and causing Cat to jump before her eyes focused on a boy with dark hair standing before her, he must have been about the same age as her. "My name is Beck, my cousin lives across the street from you. You look bored, wanna hang?" Cat gulped as she stood from the concrete step that she had been perched on. Beck seemed so cool, and he was cute, but Cat was scared, she never got to go anywhere unless it was to school or the store with her parents. "I-I…" Cat rubbed her eyes for a moment before she let a slight smile cross her face. "I'm Cat, I-I'd like to hang." Cat nodded quickly before she glanced back at the closed door to her house, what harm could there be in going across the street?_

_For the next 3 hours Cat played basketball with Beck and his cousin in their driveway across the street from Cat. She felt so happy, she had laughed and learned a thing or two about shooting a basketball, she was caught up in so much joy that she hardly noticed the sun setting behind her house. _

"_Here Cat." Beck handed her a glass of water as the three of them sat on the steps, talking and joking, poking fun at each other about the game they played. "Hey I need to go to the bathroom I'll be back." Beck's older cousin stood and walked into the house leaving Cat to sit alone with Beck. The two chatted like old friends, but they were pulled out of the happy chatter as a horn honked loudly from the street. Both sets of eyes jolted up to see Cat's mom, a fake smile on her face as her eyes through daggers at Cat before pulling away from the house. Cat was in trouble, and she didn't want to go home to find out how much. "Was that your mom?" Beck tilted his head as he watched the car pull into the garage of the house. "Yeah, I-I need to get going."_

"_Aw come on Cat see if you can stay a little longer, it's not even dark yet."_

"_Beck I really really want to stay but I know that my mom will want me to help with dinner."_

"_Well how about you just see if you can eat here"_

"_I can't Beck!" Cat exclaimed loudly as she stood up, glass left on the ground, eyes watering. "I have to go." After that Cat ran back to her house, walking through the front door to great the serpent that was her mother. _

"_What did you tell him Caterina?" _

"_What? Nothing mom, I was just hanging out."_

"_Don't lie to me! What did you tell him!" Mrs. Valentine screamed in her daughter's face, a hand reaching out and wrapping around the girls throat. "Cat tried to scream, but air supply was cut off, she wanted to run back across the street and get away from this, but she couldn't, she was trapped._

"_You won't ever tell anything again." Her mother pushed her into the living room, slamming her body to the ground before taking a pillow from the couch and smothering her child with it. Cat's body writhed on the floor as her body fought for the oxygen she needed, but just as she felt the prongs of blacking out grab onto her she was pulled out back to the hellish life. Her mouth forced up, she could see her mother above her through the slits of her eyes, it wasn't till the pain came that she knew what was happening. Boiling hot water was poured into her open mouth, she was choking on the hot water as it burnt her tongue, the rook of her mouth and her lips. Cat let her head thrash to the side, spitting out the hot water, she wanted to scream but her mouth hurt so much. Why couldn't her mother just wash her mouth out with soap?_

"_You worthless shit." Mrs. Valentine stood, kicking Cat in the ribs before leaving the room. Cat laid there, staring off into nothing, she prayed so hard to see the bright light, she prayed so hard that she would just be taken from this hell, but her prayers only brought more suffering. Her mother returned with ripped up pieces of a bed sheet. Her mother smiled as she tired her arms and legs to various heavy items in the room; the last sheet was wound tightly around her throat._

"_This is what happens to little girls that don't follow rules and run their tongues." Her mother than continued to pour boiling water over her daughter's body, ripping her clothes off, kicking her, torturing her. When she had finished with the water and kicks, she brought out a knife, slicing Cat's flesh, cutting her hair, spitting in her face. Cat was tied on the living room floor for three days, the only water she drank was the boiling water shoved down her throat, no food, and never let up to use the bathroom. When her father came home he only joined in. Her mother and father both touched her privates, beat her and let her lay in her on waste. Three days she laid there on that living room floor, unable to talk, a string away from death. She was hardly alive, but then the torture stopped, and for about a week nothing happened to her or her brother. Still Cat couldn't talk, hardly walk, she even had a hard time thinking. That was one of the worst moments she'd been through, but it was the only time like that._

**End Flashback**

Beck sat in shock as his friend told the tale of the events after their very first meeting. How could anyone be so wicked, especially to a girl like Cat! How dare those bastards touch her. "Cat, you can't go back there." Beck looked at his friend as the tears streaked down her face, she was shaking, her eyes closed, trying to avoid the memories of the pain she endured that year. Beck pulled Cat tighter into his arms, holding her, rocking her. Who would dare want to harm this beautiful creature. Becks blood boiled, he wanted to go to her house and show her parents just what it felt like, he wanted to throw boiling water on them, he wanted to kill these bastards that hurt his Cat.

'His Cat?'

Where did that come from?

Beck shook of the perplexing thought as he heard Cat whimper to him. "Beck I have to go back, I have no place to go, everything I own is there, I'll end up on the street."

"Cat you are 18, you don't have to live there, you can find some place else."

"Beck I have no money."

"Then live here." Beck surprised himself by that offer, both teenagers sat up and looked at each other. Quickly Beck pulled himself together and nodded. "Cat please come live with me, leave your house."

"Beck…" Cat looked at him. Mouth wide in shock. Was he really offering his house to her? Offering her the chance to get away. "I….I don't know." Locks of velvet red hair fell in front of Cat's eyes as she looked down away from Beck. "Please Cat live with me." Brushing the locks away from her face Beck stared with pleading eyes, he couldn't let her live in pain anymore.

"O-Okay. "

It took Cat about two hours before Beck rocked her to sleep, he however was restless, unable to close his eye for a moment as his mind was haunted. How had he and all of their friends been so blind, they hadn't helped her, they let the abuse continue for so long. Kissing Cat's head, Beck rose from the bed, phone in hand as he exited the camper. It was the early hours of the morning but Beck needed to talk to his cousin.

"Beck?" The groggy voice of his cousin Peter answered on the other line as Beck paced the ground outside his camper, hands running through his dark locks of hair.

"Yeah, Hey remember that girl Cat that used to live across the street from you at your old house?"

"Wh-yeah I remember. Why you banging her?"

"Why is that the first thing that comes to your mind Peter?"

"I don't know, why else would you call me at this hour?"

"I'm curious to know if you ever saw anything or heard anything weird coming from their house."

"Well yeah, they yelled a lot, the kids were spoiled and screamed a lot when they didn't get their way. I mean at least that's what mom told me, it's the reason we moved." Peter yawned as Beck sighed, closing his eyes in defeat. With a story like that no one could have helped her or her brother, no one knew the hell that Cat was raised in. The neighbors only thought them spoiled children. Reality was, these kids were dying and no one was there to save their lives.

"Thanks man…"

"Why do you care Beck?"

"I was just curious as to why no one ever called the cops to help Cat and her brother, no one even went to go check things out."

"Man it's too early for your cryptic talk."

"Dude, Cat's parents are abusive, they've been beating her for years, and now I asked her to move in. I Just, I don't know how to handle this." Beck was silent and so was his cousin Peter, both were stunned speechless, Peter stunned for hearing the news for the first time, Beck stunned for saying the words that Cat was being abused for the first time.

The cousins spoke a little longer before Beck hung up and returned to his bed where he held Cat, he'd hold her till the morning, because tomorrow, they would discuss the visit to her house.

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><p><strong>AN: Alrighty, here is the update, I have a lot of ideas in my head for upcoming chapters, please review and tell me what you think. Thank you!**


	11. Calm After the Storm

**Disclaimer: I do not own**

"No! You aren't going Beck! It's too dangerous for you to be there!"

"Too dangerous for me? Cat they will suck you back in! Do you really think I would let you walk right back into their fists?"

"You can't go! I have to go by myself."

"Right so what I let you walk in there and then find out that they killed you an hour later! Cat they will kill you, and if you don't let me go with you then you aren't going at all."

The two had been going back and forth like this for the past hour, Beck hadn't gotten any sleep after the phone call with his cousin, his mind was ready to shut down but Cat kept waking it up with her nonsense. He had approached her about going back to the house so she could get all her things, of course he'd go with her to make sure her parents didn't lay a hand on her, and of course Cat wasn't letting it budge.

"Beck, they'll hurt you." Cat looked up from her perch on the edge of his bed, her hands holding her head up as hurt crossed over her face. She didn't want to be fighting with Beck, all she wanted was for him to understand that if they both go he might not make it out, especially if her parents knew that he was the reason she was getting out or even knew that she was getting abused by them. Beck knelt down in front of his redheaded friend, placing his hands on top of hers on either side of her face.

"I won't let anyone hurt you Cat. Ever." Lightly Beck brushed his lips across Cat's forehead before walking to his bathroom to take a quick shower before their journey to Cat's hell.

As the water ran Cat found herself standing at the door in the clothes she was borrowing from Beck, shoes somewhere lost in the small trailer. Glancing over her shoulder she locked her eyes on the door which Beck was behind, and with a deep breath she opened to door to the trailer and exited out into the morning sun of California. "I can't let you get hurt." Cat whispered these words before her aching body sprinted away from Beck and back to her house where she would tell her parents goodbye and hopefully make it out alive.

Her bare feet pounded on the floor as she ran away from Beck, she wouldn't let him walk into that prison, her brother was out, he was alive and well, now it was her time, she wasn't going to drag anyone else into the mix. She was getting out, even if it killed her.

The car was in the driveway but the house seemed silent, almost empty. Cat's heart was racing at the same time it sank into her gut, her shoulders were heavy as she pushed open the door to her soon to be old house.

"Good morning, I hope you brought home some good money." Cat's eyes flicked to the living room where the calm, venomous voice had drifted from. "You were prostituting yourself right? That's all you're good for." The words stung, but Cat pushed away from the door and up the stairs to her bedroom, a single tear hung to the corner of her eye as her mother's wicked voice rang after her. "Don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" Footsteps beat up the stairs after Cat, but she remained silent as she walked into her childish room, pulling out a bag, throwing the important things into. "Caterina Valentine!" The hiss was a whisper in her ear as Cat felt her hair being tugged. "What do you think you are doing you ungrateful little bitch?"

"I'm doing you a favor! I'm leaving!" Cat twisted to face her mother containing the pain she felt, her eyes looked directly into her mother's for the first time in a long time.

"Like hell your leaving." Her mother pulled out a pocket knife flipping it open as she brought it's sharp tip to Cat's throat. "I suggest to start unpacking and starting respecting your mother young lady."

"I suggest you let her go." Becks v

Ice sliced through the air as the two turned to see Beck standing in the doorway his phone in his hand. "Mrs. Valentine, I suggest you let Cat get her things or I will press the little green call button on my phone and let the police what's going on here. I'm sure they'd love to read you your rights, not sure though how the prison mates will feel about child abusers though." Beck's harsh words broke Cat's mom away from her, instead she walked over to Beck fear in her eyes laced with much more hate.

"So you must be the boy she's sleeping around with. Better get tested, the little slut might give you a disease."

"And if she had a disease it would have come from her father. " Cat had never seen Beck so vicious before in her life. "Mrs. Valentine, it's over." Becks eyes shot fire at the woman who had hurt his Cat. "Leave." Cat's mother listened and left the room leaving Beck and Cat alone in her room. "Beck I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Cat rushed into his arms and pulled him close to her as he embraced her. "I'm sorry." Cat quivered in his arms as the tears fell down her face.

"I told you to wait Cat." Beck was hurt that she had betrayed him, hurt that he had to race over here when he realized she was missing from his home. As much as he was hurt though, he was that much more relieved that Cat was safe and in his arms. "Please, just get your things Cat." Beck kissed the top of her head before pulling away from her and leaning against the door frame. Beck Oliver never got scared of anything, but when he saw a knife to his Cat's throat, he felt more fear than he even knew was capable to being felt.

**A/N: [This is a mini Chapter my dearest, I do hope you liked it. Please review, I'm going to work on the next Chapter]**


	12. To Feel Dead

**I do not own. **

**This chapter I hope turns out to be much better than the last one, I will make it longer and it will give a look more into Cat's past and I will be bringing some Jade in.**

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><p>Cat sat at the table across from Beck, her things in the back seat of his car in the parking lot. Both stared at each other, silently neither one knew what to say, they hadn't spoken but one sentence to each other since they left Cat's house. Beck was in terrible shock actually witnessing the violence that Cat endured every day.<p>

"That wasn't the worse you know." Cat's voice cracked as she finally broke the silence. They had come to a restaurant to get some lunch, staying public seemed safer than going back and locking up inside becks camper, besides it was a nice day outside, and sitting under the umbrella as the warm air surrounded the two was calming. Beck's spine was chilled though when his friend broke the silence with her weak shaking voice.

"What wasn't the worse Cat?" Beck already knew that she had to mean what he saw wasn't the worse that has happened to her.

"The knife Beck, it was nothing compared to what else I've been through. One of worse times I just I can't talk about but when I was about 11 things started to get better, at least I thought they were getting better. See the fighting had stopped, the drinking stopped and for about a month the abusing stopped. I thought that it was over, I still didn't really talk to my father that much he scared me, but me and my mom seemed to be getting along but it didn't last.

I came home from school one day, my father was gone somewhere, turns out he was trying to get us some money hustling some people , we were running dry, that's kind of the reason they stopped drinking so much, no money to buy the alcohol . Anyways, he was gone and my brother was at our grandparents for the day, it was like he knew something was going to happen that day, he begged and begged to go to their house. He begged me to go with him, I said no, I wanted to spend time with my mom…I should have gone." Cat looked away, her voice breaking as a single tear slide down the side of her face.

"Cat…" Beck's voice crawled with compassion as he scooted closer to her, wiping away her tears before wrapping his hand around her own. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Beck looked at Cat just wishing he could make it all go away, wishing he could just take away all of her pain. Cat stared up at him with her sorrowful brown eyes before taking a deep breath and continuing with her tale.

"I should have gone but I was so happy that me and mom were getting along, and it was Mother's day so I thought that for mother's day I would help her around the house, I followed her around, I did everything she asked me to, but um, and a-and then she told me to go to my room after we cleaned everything and said to stay there until she called me down, she said she had a special job to set up for me, a job that only big girls can do. So I went to my room, she didn't yell at me the whole day, now I wish she would have. I-I waited and after an hour, she called me down, and when I went downstairs I saw a camera crew and a n-naked man. My mom told me that I needed to help her make some money for this family. The guy behind the camera pulled my mother to the side and I could hear them talking but I didn't understand what they were talking about. The camera guy kept asking will she do, it will she do it and my mother kept saying don't worry, she'll do it. So the camera guy came over to me, he told me that I needed to stand in front of the camera and take my clothes off for him. He made me think of my father and about all the times he had made me take my clothes off for him. I was frozen, I didn't know what t-t-to do. I looked to my mom and then I looked over to the n-naked man. I was 11, I didn't know what was happening to me. But I listened, I took my clothes off, and then the man behind the camera told me to start, t-touching myself. I couldn't do it, so my mom pulled me by the hand into our laundry room, she took my hand and showed me how I was supposed to touch myself for the camera man. I didn't like it, it didn't feel good. I told her that, so she told me she would help me to not feel that bad. I told her I just wanted to go back to my room but instead she took my hand and she-she picked up the iron for our clothes, and she-she ironed my hands until I agreed to do whatever the camera man asked. She had planned on me saying no, she had the iron ready to hurt me with." Cat stopped, but now her face was running with tears, her entire body shook. "Somewhere out in the world there's a porno of eleven year old Cat, touching herself, and being touched by a strange man. Somewhere out there disgusting pigs are getting off to my torture."

Beck was crying, not a single tear, multiple tears cascading down his cheeks, he felt sick to his stomach, how could anyone ever do such a thing, people were just sick, he wanted to see her parents rot in jail for they did to her.

"Cat I'm so sorry." Beck wrapped his arms around the little redhead and pulled her in a tight hug, they embraced each other, tears flowing down their cheeks, Cat clutched to Beck, she never told anyone this, not her brother, not her diary, sometimes not even herself. Cat just wanted it all to go away, she was a senior in high school and she had endured so much trauma, she had been hurt, she had been humiliated, but right now here with Beck, she'd been saved. This embrace lasted until both had no more tears to cry, but even when the embrace ended Beck remained close to Cat, his hand on top of her own.

"What is going on." Beck jumped in his seat as he heard a harsh voice behind him and Cat. Instantly he removed his hand from Cat's before turning around only to come face to his girlfriend Jade. "Hi Jade." Cat spoke first and it was weird to Beck hearing her voice so light and innocent sounding again after what she had just talked to him about. He realized that Cat was a much better actor then anyone gave her credit for.

"Jade." Beck stood up, that handsome smile on his face as he attempted to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek.

"NO!" Jade looked between the two of them, fire in her eyes before she reached for Beck's pear phone that was laying on the table. "I've been calling you and texting you." Unlocking his phone she looked down and her face grew more aggravated when she saw that he hadn't even bothered to look at her messages. Jade was fuming as she glanced between her boyfriend and her so called best friend. "I am not happy."

"Jade please just calm down."

"I will not calm down! You've been ignoring me because of Cat!"

"Jade you don't understand."

"No Beck I don't understand! Cat isn't even like a person! She's like a pet what could be so interesting that you couldn't answer my calls!"

Beck ran his fingers through his hair before glancing over at Cat, she was dazing out, maybe that's what she grew used to doing when her parents yelled at her, maybe she was trying not to get upset. "Jade what is it that you needed to tell me so badly?"

"Spring break starts next week and my family is going to Cancun, I was going to invite you so it wouldn't be so horrible."

"I can't go Jade."

"What?" There was no stopping Jade, she was furious, she was jealous, but over all she just didn't understand what was going on and Beck wasn't willing to leave Cat, not when he just got her to safety.

"Fine! But read my lips, when I get back from Cancun in a week you better not be hanging out with the likes of her. Understand?" Beck nodded and watched as his girlfriend stomped away, she'd get over it, all she needed was some time to cool down, and all he needed to do was be there for Cat.

"Maybe this is a bad idea Beck." Beck glanced over to Cat who had broken from the daze she had just been absorbed in. "I don't want to cause problems between you and Jade."

"Don't worry about Jade. Let's get out of here."

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><p><strong>Alright, please review, the next few chapters may be a little more boring as in there wont be the abuse, but it will be much more dealing with the mental capacity of Cat. Also there will be some romance blossoming with the two, slowly but it will be there. <strong>


	13. My Extreme Apology

**A/N: My dearest readers I am so extremely mortified and sorry that I haven't gotten a new chapter up! I;m upset with myself just as all of you should be upset with me. It's getting towards the end of my semester and I am slammed with loads and loads of papers and homework. I am so sorry and hope to get a chapter up as soon as I can! Please stick with me. **


	14. Till Heaven Calls

Beck sat at his desk listening to his English teacher drone on about some book that he had already read. There was only ten minutes left and then he would be out of this class and on his way to his acting class, the one where all his friends were. It was the one class that he was allowed to take on a different persona and act like the life he'd been living with the past couple of months was just gone. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, he had learned about the life that Cat had to endure and he had tried everything in his power to protect her, to get her from harm's way. There was an issue with that, she had lived with him for a few weeks and then she decided that she just wanted to go stay with someone else. Which was fine because he still got to see her at school even if he was worried about her. About a month ago though Cat vanished, she stopped going to school and no one had heard from her. It was like she just got on a bus and left the world behind her.

"Um Beck?" Someone's hand was on his shoulder shaking him out of his daze. "Dude you okay?" Beck blinked a few moments before looking at his best friend Andre. "Yeah man I'm okay, just tired." Beck sucked on his lower lip before gathering his things and standing from his desk. "We all miss her Beck; it is weird not having that little ball of energy running around. In a weird way I miss her funny stories." Andre was only trying to be a good friend, but sometimes he just wished people would stop talking about the little red head girl that held so many secrets. "I still don't get why her parents would pull her out of Hollywood Arts, she loved this place." That's what everyone thought. They just assumed her parents pulled her out, but Beck knew much better, he just could never talk to his friends about his real concerns.

The two walked the halls towards their favorite class, Andre talked about music and Beck just nodded, happy that the subject had changed from being about the girl that was missing. "Beck! Andre!" Robbie waved them over excitedly with some wacko story about North Ridge girls. "Hey Beck." A alluring low whisper in his ear turned his attention away from Robbie and towards the girl behind the whisper. "You've been tense lately, I think that maybe I should come over tonight and help you relieve all the pent up tension." Jades hands slide down Becks chest as her dark locks of hair fell over one of her shoulders.

"Or Jade we should all have a movie night tonight. I think that would be fun. We all haven't gotten together in a while." Tori's suggestion lingered in the air as Sikowitz came into the class sucking on coconut milk.

"Look alive children of the earth. It's acting time!" With a hop in his step he started to teach his lesson and let the students one by one come up and preform to his standards. The class just wasn't the same without Cat and her random outburst or laughs at things that nobody else understood. People didn't miss her as much though because they thought she was just fine at another school, but Beck knew better than to think that. There was something wrong, it had been a month and no one had heard anything from her. The rest of the day passed in a blur just like all the other days had passed since Cat had been gone. You never really know how much you're going to miss someone until they are no longer in your life.

"So are we on for tonight Beck?" Jade smiled as she walked up to her somewhat boyfriend in the parking lot. He just wanted to be alone, he didn't want to spend time with this girl but he knew that he needed to do something besides just sit at home and dwell on the fact that he had no idea if Cat was dead or alive. "Sure Jade, come over at 9." With that he nodded and walked away from the girl that he wasn't sure he was in love with anymore.

"Jade, Jade, slow down." Jade was straddling Becks lap, her top thrown somewhere on the ground and nothing but her black bra was covering up her chest. "Why? It's not like we haven't done any of this before?"

"I know but I just don't think that we should right now." Beck propped his body up on his elbows as he watched Jade's face twist into hurt, confusion and anger. "Anyone would die to have a chance at seeing me this way."

"Jade you are gorgeous in every aspect but I'm just not into it tonight."

"Are you even into me anymore?" Jades question threw him off guard, was he into her anymore? When he asked himself the question the only word that popped into his mind was no. He really wasn't into her anymore, but maybe that was because he was too concerned about Cat being gone, or maybe it was because the reason he was so concerned about Cat was because he wanted to be more than a friend with her.

"Jade, look we had it good, but I just-"

"Don't! You aren't giving me the we should just be friends talk!"

"Jade I'm sorry." His head hung low as Jade crawled off of him and grabbed her shirt from the floor. "You know Beck, I just don't get you." And with that Jade was out the door and headed to her car and away from her now ex-boyfriend.

Beck ran his fingers through his hair but he didn't have any other time to think because his phone started to vibrate on the table next to him. He reached for it and the number that came across the screen wasn't a number that he had ever seen before. He wanted to just ignore it, but something in his gut told him that he needed to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"B-Beck…" Cat's shaking voice whispered on the other line when she had heard his answer. "Beck…I-I need yo-your help…please." Cat pleaded for him as Beck listened in shock.

"P-Please."


	15. My Update

I am so sorry that I haven't been able to update for a long time. I am still thankful that there are people out there still reading this and wanting more. I hope that you all stick with me because I will get something soon. I know you feel like I have said this before but this I mean it. I want to let you all know that there have been a couple of deaths that I have had to deal with and I just wasn't in a place where I could write for this and it be worth your time. I am getting better though and I am ready to write again for this. I really do appreciate everyone that reads this story and still has hope for it because I still have hope is well. Once again thank you, all of you and keep your eyes open for a new chapter soon!


	16. Hold My Hand

It had been a month since Cat left Beck's. She knew that she couldn't stay there when she saw the pain she was causing between Jade and Beck. Cat knew that she needed to leave. She was sucking these people into her world and she couldn't let it happen any longer. So she left. She packed her things and left the safety of the camper. She was 18, legally she could be on her own but the truth was she didn't know how to live on her own. She didn't know how to take care of herself. She did the only thing she could though, she slipped on her keds and just walked. Walked for days jumping in and out of shelters. For a month she was living as a shadow moving but never settling. Cat tried to stay as far away from her own house. She didn't get very far outside of town but she was far enough away that she felt safe. She hadn't heard anything from her brother and she only hoped the best for him. She missed Beck's warmth but she couldn't put him into danger anymore, she couldn't bring his happiness down to sadness because of the life she had to live.

"Miss, miss."

Cat pulled back to reality and looked at the woman who was standing behind her in the shelter. They were in line for food, it was Cats turn to move but she was frozen in her thoughts. Suddenly she had lost her appetite as she thought about all the friends she had left behind her. "Um, sorry." Cat stepped out of the line dropping her empty tray on a table as she walked out of the cafeteria. She saw her reflection in the window, her red locks fading back to brown and tears filled her eyes as she walked to the door leading back to the outside world. She could just leave, go back home. "Cat." A low voice beckoned Cat's attention a voice that sent splinters down her spine. "I've been looking for you kitten." Cat gulped as her eyes stared at the reflection of the man standing behind her. "You've been naughty for scaring your mom and I. It's time to come home now daughter." Fear strangled her lungs as she reached for the door handle. "You aren't going to try and run from me are you my beautiful little girl." A menacing hand was crushing her shoulder and Cat winced squeezing her eyes shut.

**He can't hurt you, not here.**

Cat gulped and turned to her father. "Atta girl, come to daddy. I love you. Would you like me to show you how much?" The soft whisper her father spoke in made her skin crawl as his hand slid down her shoulder, fingers leaving a trail of ice in its path. "No!" Cat brushed his hand away from her as she started to back away from him. "No one will love you like me." Her father inched in closer grasping her wrist in a terrifying grip before pulling her into the shadows. "Let me love you child." His long fingers brushed the hair off of her shoulders before he pressed his lips against her throat. "NO!" Cat yelled bringing her knee up to his groin with as much force as she could muster. "You don't own me!" Cat turned to run but her father was already recovering from his attack. "You little bitch, I do own you, I made you." In a few long strides he had caught up with Cat one arm caught her around her waist while the other twisted Cat's arm until a loud pop was heard and Cat screamed out in the pain. It was that moment when the Staff of the shelter started coming near yelling to each other to call the police. In a last attempt Cat stomped the heel of her font on the top of her father's foot. He released her in his pain and she ran.

Cat ran and ran and didn't stop until her legs couldn't take her any further. She collapsed against the side of a building and pulled her knees to her chest. Her shoulder burned with pain, it felt like he had dislocated her shoulder. It wouldn't be the first time but she had always had her brother to help her pop it back in place. Cat sat against the wall for hours until the sun slowly started to sink away into the ocean. Cat's eyes looked towards the pay phone and she rummaged in her pockets for change. It was time for Cat to go home.

"Hello?"

"B-Beck…" Cat sucked in a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment before continuing. "Beck, I-I need yo-your help…please." Her voice was a shaky whisper as she spoke into the receiver. "P-Please." She begged once more.

Silence.

No music, no talking, no sound.

Beck had popped Cat's shoulder back into place when he came to get her. He had hugged her but that was all. As they drove in the car neither said anything. Neither knew exactly what to say to the other. It had been a month since they had last talked to each other. She had left without a word, she had left without a note she just vanished.

Beck wove around cars as he sped down the highway back towards his house. There was anger written on his face but there was also relief. He focused on the road ahead, hands gripping the wheel tightly as he breathed deeply listening to the silence.

"Beck." It was the first time Cat had spoken since they were in the car. "Thank you." She reached her hand out and rested it on his thigh as she looked over to him, her wide eyes studying his serious expression. Cat watched as Beck's body relaxed and the anger fell from his eyes. One hand released the wheel and he let his fingers brush over Cat's a moment before taking her hand in his, fingers intertwined with hers. "Cat I was afraid I was never going to see you again. I thought you were dead Cat."

Cat gulped and relaxed back into the passenger seat, the warmth of Becks hand travelling up her entire body igniting her blood with something she had only ever felt before with Beck. "Sometimes I think it would be better if I was dead." With that Cat squeezed his hand and then drifted off to sleep with only thoughts of Beck in her mind.

Beck glanced over to his red headed little friend before bringing her hand to his lips. "I've missed you little red." His lips brushed across the top of her hand before he drove the rest of the way back to his house. His mind running wild with thoughts of what Cat had been doing the last month, and the thought of being able to hold her again and protect her. Beck had lied when he said he wasn't afraid of anything.

Beck was afraid of losing Cat.


End file.
